I Do
by DiamondMavollo
Summary: Mavis is worried about her upcoming marriage to Apollo. She visits him when he's in bed with a concussion, and all their feelings pour out at once. Rated T for some swearing. Twoshot. OCxOC. Written by MNG and me.
1. Chapter 1

Mavis knocked lightly on the bedroom door, uncertain about what she was going to find on the other side. Apollo had been unconscious for around three days, and every other tine she had knocked, she had gotten no response from him. This time, however, the door was opened and a very tired-looking Artemis was standing there. Her face broke out into relief as she spotted Mavis. "Thank goodness…Mavis, Apollo's awake but he has to stay in bed. I've been up for hours and I need to rest. Can you look after him?"

Mavis' face broke into a smile, and she nodded quickly. "Yes, Artemis. It's not a problem. Honestly, it's the best news I've had all night."

Artemis smiled weakly. "Thanks." She moved past Mavis and disappeared down the hall.

Mavis slipped into the room, shutting the door quietly behind her. She walked across the room to the bedside and sat down.

"Look who's finally awake," she teased. "Welcome back to the world of the living."

"Thanks." Apollo grinned weakly. "Feels good to be back."

Mavis smiled and looked him over, noting the colour returning to his skin. "You don't look like a ghost anymore," she pointed out.

"I certainly FELT like a ghost when I woke up a few hours ago…"

"Light headed, dizzy, lost… So normal, then?" Mavis nudged his shoulder playfully.

"MAN, you're being harsh," Apollo grumbled, lying back in his bed. "And I thought ARTEMIS had a bad bedside manner."

Mavis chuckled and patted his hand. "I only save it for you."

"I feel so special," deadpanned Apollo.

Mavis's face fell. She lowered her head and averted her gaze. "Sorry. Thought I'd cheer you up."

Apollo smiled weakly and held out his hand to her. "I know. I'm sorry. Being in a coma for three days really takes it out of a guy."

"I get it." Mavis looked at his hand, but did not take it. "Apollo… We need to talk."

Apollo swallowed nervously and dropped his hand. "O-Of course, Mavis. What about?"

"Well…it's…" Mavis sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I-It's my dad. H-He…he wants to know when we're…when we're finally going to…you know…" She glanced down at the ring on her finger.

Apollo bit the inside of his lip. "Oh… We've only been engaged for five months. Is it…too long?"

"Well…" Mavis sighed. "Dad's pressuring me into marriage now. He says I won't have long of my young life left, and the longer we wait, the harder it will be for us."

"Hey, Mavie…" Apollo's eyebrows creased in sympathy. "We shouldn't get married quicker just because your father is pressuring you into it. We should get married when we feel ready. Do you feel ready?"

"But Father says the longer we wait, the harder it'll be for us," Mavis insisted. "And, of course, Father's always right."

"Do you feel ready?" Apollo pressed.

Mavis hesitated, playing with her thumbs. "I…I don't know, Apollo. I-I want to marry you—I really, really do, but…I don't know it…I-I guess I'm just…I'm scared."

Apollo smiled weakly at his fiancée. "Mavie, I love you no matter what and no matter when we get married. And your father may be right about a lot of things, but he's wrong about this. You know why? Because my mother got married to my stepdad when they were both sixty years old, after fifteen years of being engaged. There's absolutely no rush to get married; it only matters when we're ready. Even if it takes a year or five."

"Monty's married," Mavis continued as if she had not heard her fiancée. "Almost all of my siblings are married. And happy."

Apollo winced. "Are you…saying you're not happy with me?"

Mavis' eyes widened in surprise. "What? N-No! Not at all!"

"Mavis." Apollo's tone hardened a little. "You are not your siblings and you are not your father, and they do not have any say in when you get married. That choice is down to you and me alone. We can be happy even if we never get married. Marriage does not equal happiness."

"I…I guess I'm scared," Mavis admitted wearily. "I'm…I'm scared of getting too close to you—closer than I already am."

"Too close?" repeated Apollo. "What do you mean?"

"Well…" Mavis shook her head and sighed in frustration. "What if one of us—what if YOU—gets hurt? Or something happens and…and I lose you? How can I cope with that now that we're so close?"

"Mavie…" Apollo swallowed. "If you truly love me, you'll know that that is a risk worth taking. _I_ certainly know it."

"I DO truly love you!" Mavis gasped, almost sounding offended at the very idea of NOT loving him. "How could I not?"

Apollo smiled. "Then we have nothing to worry about. Cheesy as it is, our love protects us."

"But what if L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N. catches you and I'm forced to leave you behind for the greater good of a mission?" Mavis blurted out. "I can't handle a sacrifice like that!"

"As long as you are in my heart, nobody can hurt me," Apollo promised. "Not even L.O.V.E.M.U.F.F.I.N."

"You don't seem to get it, do you?" Mavis sighed in frustration.

"Then please enlighten me!"

"IF YOU DIE I'LL BE BROKEN BEYOND REPAIR!" Mavis yelled before she could stop herself.

"And you think I wouldn't if YOU died?!" Apollo yelled back.

"I KNOW YOU WOULD!" Mavis tried to fight the tears falling down her cheeks. "THAT'S why I'm afraid to marry you!"

"Mavis…"

Apollo sat up slowly and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Before Mavis could tell him off, Apollo got up off the bed, shuffled over to her, and kissed her gently. Mavis relaxed into the kiss, pressing herself closer to him. He placed his hands gently on her back and held her tenderly, feeling her warmth on his body.

Mavis pulled her lips away after a moment, contenting herself with lying her head against his chest. "Love is so comforting," she whispered.

"If you really do not want to get married, then I respect that," Apollo murmured back. "I will always love you, no matter what we do."

"I want to marry you," Mavis decided after a moment. "I want you."

Apollo smiled and touched his forehead to hers. "I love you, Mavis. And it would be an honour to be your husband."

"And it would be the best gift for me to receive to be your wife," Mavis whispered back.

Apollo suddenly cried out in pain and slumped in Mavis's arms. Mavis gasped and caught him, his weight causing her to tumble to the floor. "Apollo!" she shrieked in fear.

She lifted him up, summoning her strength to keep him in her arms. "Let's get you back to bed," she said worriedly.

Apollo groaned something weakly, leaning against her for support. If he could move, he would.

Mavis lay Apollo back down on the bed and covered him with the sheet. Worried, she gently touched his cheek. "You…You'll be fine…right?"


	2. Chapter 2

"Sure…" Apollo managed to groan. "Maybe…"

"Apollo Hermes Hastings, if you don't recover, I will not marry you!" Mavis folded her arms. "So there," she finished, though her voice was shaking.

Apollo managed a meek smile, his eyelids narrowing as he struggled to stay awake. "Well…shit…"

"Apollo…" Mavis let her façade drop and clutched his hand. "Please tell me the truth. Are…Are you really going to be okay?"

"I…" Apollo hesitated, clearly torn between lying to comfort his fiancée, and telling the truth and hurting her. "I…I don't know for sure…"

"If you sleep, is there a chance that…that you'll…?"

"I…shouldn't sleep…" Apollo admitted weakly. "But…I'm so tired…"

Mavis paused for a moment. Then she began singing softly, _"I came, I saw, tore down these walls. Block one way, I'll find another. You know you'll always be discovered."_

Apollo smiled weakly back and croaked out, _"If it's me you choose, I can't lose. I'm in love with you; if you love me too, yeah."_

Together, they sang, _"Don't ever change, and I'll stay the same. We'll be swimming in the same direction, and we'll never lose this connection. Nothing they can do can stop this army of two. We're marching to the future, yeah, it's me and you."_

 _"_ _So just follow my lead,"_ sang Mavis.

 _"_ _Repeat after me,"_ sang Apollo.

 _"_ _Our faith is the bullet, hope is the gun, and love is all we need. Now fear's on the run; we've already won. Now march with the band, raise your right hand, we've only just begun."_

Apollo smiled softly and let his eyes close. "I love it when you sing that…"

"I…want that to be our wedding song," Mavis admitted quietly. "Because it describes everything we've been through together."

Apollo nodded slowly. "I agree. Somehow, it sounds more beautiful when you sing it."

Mavis smiled shyly. She then reached out and took his hand. "I can't sing it if the only person who'll listen falls asleep on me."

After a moment's hesitation, Apollo cleared his throat and sang, _"Wrapped up, so consumed by all this hurt. If you ask me, don't know where to start."_

Then Mavis, smiling weakly, sang, _"Anger, love, confusion. Roads that go nowhere."_

Apollo joined her with the next line: _"I know there's somewhere better 'cuz you always take me there."_ Without stopping, they went on: _"Came to you with a broken faith. Gave me more than a hand to hold. Caught before I hit the ground. Tell me I'm safe, you've got me now."_

Apollo smiled and continued to sing, his heart growing stronger with every verse. _"Would you take the wheel, if I lose control? If I'm lying here, will you take me home?"_

"Of course," Mavis whispered. "I'd do anything for you, Apollo."

Apollo broke off his song, realizing that Mavis had spoken to him outside of the lyrics. He blinked up into her face, a small tear falling from his eyes. "I-I would do anything too…for you."

Mavis climbed onto the bed next to him and rested her head on his chest. "It's safe to sleep now," she murmured. "You can't not wake up if I'm right here."

Apollo smirked. "Your logic is so philosophical."

"You would never leave me," Mavis said confidently. "So if I keep touching you while you're asleep, your subconscious mind will go 'look, you have to wake up; Mavis is right here next to you and she would be utterly destroyed if you didn't wake up'."

"That makes me more depressed than anything, but I guess that's the point," Apollo chuckled weakly.

"Yup." Mavis kissed Apollo's cheek. "I'm staying right here."

Apollo sighed and allowed his eyes to close. "What if I sleep too long?"

"I will wake you," promised Mavis. "Trust me, if I wake up and you're still not awake, I will panic and shake the crap out of you."

"You'll kill me if I die," Apollo said aloud. "Won't you?"

"Abso-fucking-lutely."

Apollo smirked. "Then talk to me. Talk to me about everything and keep me awake."

"Okay." Mavis exhaled deeply through her nose and thought for a moment. "So I have a really difficult task ahead of me to choose my chief bridesmaid. Meredith, Millie, or Melissa?"

Apollo thought for a moment. "Hmmmm…Millie. No, Melissa. But then Meredith…?"

Mavis dissolved into giggles. "Exactly. Who's your best man going to be?"

"I don't know," Apollo admitted. "I thought about Monty, maybe Reuben. I can't decide either."

"What about…a best woman?" Mavis asked.

Apollo thought about this for a moment. "Then I would chose Artemis."

"Then I think you should go with that. Artemis is the most important person in your life, apart from me. I bet there's nobody else you'd want by your side at your wedding."

"Besides you, nobody," Apollo agreed. He then changed the subject. "What about cake?"

"The exact same cake we got for our one year anniversary," Mavis decided. "It's special."

"Chocolate tiered cake with gold and silver frosting?" Apollo asked.

"That's the one. If you're okay with it, of course."

"I like it." Apollo decided with a soft smile. "And the music?"

Mavis smirked. _"It's the moment of truth, I'm counting on you. This army of two. I've only just begun,"_ she sang.

Apollo chuckled. "Oh yeah…I guess I'm more tired than I thought." He yawned widely. "Right on cue. You know, I think it might be safe for me to sleep now."

Mavis hesitated. "Are you certain?"

"Very. But even if I wasn't, I wouldn't be worried. I have an amazing reason to wake up tomorrow."

Mavis frowned. "Wait…you mean…we can marry…tomorrow…?"

Apollo's smile vanished. "I…I'm sorry. We don't have to. I was just…"

Mavis said nothing to him. Nothing needed to be said. Only felt. Slowly, she leaned herself against him, wrapping her arms around him in a tight embrace. "I do."

"You…do?"

Mavis nodded, smiling. "I do want the wedding tomorrow. And you know what I will say."

Apollo smiled back and squeezed her hand. "Do I?"

"Those same words backward," Mavis whispered gently. She leaned in and kissed him lightly.

Apollo smiled as he kissed her back. "Of course," he said, when Mavis leant back. "Then I really have a good reason to wake up tomorrow, don't I?"

"The best reason." Mavis smiled. "It would be a shame if I had to divorce you before we even married."

Apollo raised his eyebrows. "Okay, mean. But fair."

Mavis smirked and lightly tapped his forehead. "Get some sleep."

"I will." Apollo brushed the backs of his fingers against her cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too, Apollo." Mavis whispered back to him.

With one last smile, Apollo lay back and closed his eyes. Mavis lay down beside him, keeping her arm around him in a tight hug. Resting her head on his chest, she, too, soon drifted into sleep.


End file.
